A Glorious Autumn! (Thanks to a Drought)

 

The leaf color has been spectacular this year. A dry year combined with sunny days and crisp nights created the best concentration of color in the sugar maples. I know there is a lesson in there in regard to suffering the drought and being rewarded in the end. But right now I will focus simply on all the beauty! 

Each time I drove home from errands and approached the house I was given a treat by those maples. There have been plenty of fall chores to do on the property. I enjoyed working around those trees. The cooler weather made it a joy to be outside. I did some pruning, made war on the Lantern Flies, watered new plantings, transplanted some creeping Germander, painted the front of the shed, and took stock of what else needs to be done before winter sets in. The lavender and zinnias keep blooming so I left them alone for the bees and butterflies that are still about. 

 

One evening I preserved some leaves in wax. The leaf color still turns dark even when waxed, but they don't dry out entirely. This past weekend, most of the leaves finished dropping. Audrey brought Violet over and Steve helped them make a huge pile of leaves for jumping into. We sat on blankets on the lawn and I watched Violet romp and do somersaults and flips in the sunshine. 

 

The weekend before, Tess and Blake came up on Sunday afternoon and we used the last of the bonfire coals to make a fire in a remaining tree stump. We roasted hot dogs over the fire and ate them outside with potato chips. That meal, as simple as it was, was a satisfying feast.